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Disturbia

Date: September 7
Location: Clifton Living Room

This was a highly enjoyable, if far-fetched, modern (and younger) take on Rear Window. It turns into a somewhat typical thriller in its final moments, but before that it very effectively establishes its characters. I did find myself wondering why these kids didn’t just call the police, especially later in the film, but suspension of disbelief makes things a lot more fun. Shia Lebouf is an excellent actor who can play funny, smart, dorky or cool — sometimes all at once — and he packs a real dramatic punch when he needs to. I have no doubt that he’ll be a major star for years to come.

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Stardust

Date: September 1
Location: AMC Sunset Place

We had a free ticket thanks to Moviewatcher points and nothing new was worth seeing (King of Kong is playing only at Las Olas), so we gave this comic fairy tale a try. It’s a very sweet film — I get the Princess Bride comparisons, though of course it’s not in the same ballpark (or, to quote Pulp Fiction‘s Jules, not even the same bleepin’ sport). Some big laughs, a sweet love story, good villains… all in all, a fun night at the movies. One big misstep, though: Robert DeNiro’s pirate as a cross-dressing fop? I liked the sensitive soul masking as a tough guy, but they took it to cartoonish (and frankly, offensive) places.

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Large and in charge

I’m straying a bit from the topic of this blog to examine the latest album release of a certain Mr. Lyle Lovett. Perhaps I’m not too far afield, as Mr. Lovett has acted in several films and provided music for many more. Regardless, such a talent deserves to be reflected upon, and this is as good a place as any.

This is an important release for Lovett, arriving 11 years after what I consider his best work, The Road to Ensenada. His output since then has been spotty — a live album, a collection of covers, a soundtrack and, in 2003, the album I consider his worst… My Baby Don’t Tolerate. That work had the sheen and musicianship he’s known for, but the songs were standard country rock numbers that felt like they could have been written by anyone.

So would this be a return to form, or another disappointment?

The short answer: It’s a return to form. But I’ve never been one for short answers. So here’s a track-by-track breakdown of Lovett’s latest opus.

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The Lookout

Date: August 22
Location: Clifton Living Room

Along with Zodiac and Breach, this makes three smart, adult character-driven winners released in the first three months of the year (traditional dumping ground for low-expectation crap). Unfortunately, the timing probably means none of these films will be recognized come Oscar season. Writer and first-time director Scott Frank (who penned such classics as Get Shorty and Out of Sight) has delivered an award-worthy script and crafted a film that works as both a low-key heist thriller and a poignant character piece. The acting is wonderful across the board, including a haunting turn by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and scene-stealing work by Jeff Daniels (who really should be in every movie). Kudos to Mom for recalling British actor Matthew Goode from his work in Match Point — he’s unrecognizable here as the sympathetically sinister antagonist. I had minor problems with some convenient turns at the climax, but nothing that would keep me from recommending this as one of the year’s best films so far.

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2007 Fall movie preview

So we’re more than seven months into the year, and I’ve seen 21 films. That’s a little less than three per month — not a bad average, but off the pace of one-per-week that I like as a yearly average. But it is the fall and winter that generally deliver the must-see films, and lots of them, so I should be able to hit my target by Oscar time.

Before looking at the films to come, I’ll mention some films from earlier this year that I have in my NetFlix queue and hope to see soon on DVD (in order of preference): Once, Away From Her, Talk to Me, Grindhouse, Black Book, Waitress, La Vie en Rose, The Ten, The Hoax, Diggers, 2 Days in Paris, Disturbia, Curse of the Golden Flower, Bug, Smokin’ Aces. So many movies, so little time.

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